A Bavarian Town Makes
Christ's Passion Its Own

By

Matthew Gurewitsch

Updated Aug. 23, 2000 12:01 a.m. ET

Oberammergau, Germany

I n this postcard-perfect corner of Bavaria, where mountains are epics and every self-respecting facade bears a fresco, everyone is a drama critic. At his mother's tidy bed-and-breakfast, Andreas L., age 10, can hardly wait for the latest pilgrim to set down his backpack before launching into a chronicle of the celebrated (or notorious) Passion play with which the name of Oberammergau is synonymous around the...